New Delhi:

The US military has taken out “many long sought after targets” in Iran, President Donald Trump has announced. In his latest Truth Social post on the Middle East conflict, Trump has said in a Truth Social post, “Big day in Iran. Many long sought after targets have been taken out and destroyed by our GREAT MILITARY, the finest and most lethal in the World. God bless you all!”

This comes shortly after Trump said the war against Iran has achieved regime change. “We’ve had regime change. We’re dealing with different people than anybody’s dealt with before. It’s a whole different group of people. So I would consider that regime change,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One. “I do see a deal in Iran. Could be soon,” he said in reply to a question.

The conflict in the Middle East, triggered by the US-Israel airstrikes on Iran on February 28, has entered its fifth week. Iran has hit back hard by bombing US assets in Gulf countries. Tehran has also blocked the Strait of Hormuz, the transit route for one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies. The blockade has led to a jump in global crude oil prices and sparked energy security concerns in key Asian markets such as China and India.

MB Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Iranian parliament, has accused the US of talking about diplomacy while planning a ground attack. “The enemy publicly sends messages of negotiation and dialogue while secretly planning a ground attack,” he said in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency. “Our men are waiting for the arrival of the American soldiers on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional allies once and for all,” he added. Over the past couple of weeks, the US and deployed more troops in the Middle East, leading to speculation about a ground invasion plan.

In a “heads-up” post hours ahead of Trump’s Truth Social post, Ghalibaf said “news” before the stock market opens on Monday is “often just a setup for profit-taking”. “Heads-up: Pre-market so-called ‘news’ or ‘Truth’ is often just a setup for profit-taking. Basically, it’s a reverse indicator. Do the opposite: If they pump it, short it. If they dump it, go long. See something tomorrow? You know the drill,” he said in a post on X.